As always, they have a crackerjack staff of banjo instructors on tap, and Evans was especially pleased to note that this year Bill Emerson will make his NashCamp Banjo faculty debut. Joining Emerson will be host Sonny Osborne, Alan Munde, Tom Adams, Charlie Cushman, Ned Luberecki, Bill Evans and Frank Neat.

This will be their 9th year holding this event which Evans tells us is as oriented towards having fun as it is serious banjo instruction.

You can see all the details about the 2009 NashCamp Banjo Retreat online.

Bill’s banjo has a maple neck and resonator, with a Hearts and Flowers inlay in the fingerboard. A Dannick flat head tone ring is installed, manufactured by American Made Banjo, and is plated with an antique gold. When the banjo is offered for sale in the near future, it will be available as shown in the accompanying photo, or with a custom engraving pattern which Bill is designing himself.

Tom Mirisola, president of American Made Banjo, is delighted to have Bill on board. He also shared news about their having recently acquired their own machine shop to manufacture to Dannick tone rings and the other metal parts used in assembling the Kel Kroydon banjos.

Evans has been using the banjo of late for his many banjo workshops, and his shows with Megan Lynch in support of their new CD, Let’s Do Something, and is pleased with his signature model Kel Kroydon.

“I’m excited to be associated with Tom, American Made Banjo Company and the Kel Kroyden nameplate. I take an association of this kind very seriously and I wanted to be sure that we had come up with an instrument that equaled and maybe surpassed any other professional grade instrument available in terms of tone, workmanship and playability. The Bill Evans KK is the result of a collaboration between Tom, Robin Smith, Charlie Cushman and myself with the goal being to create an instrument that sounded as close as possible to the prewar instruments that I’ve been associated with over my career.

The classic sound and tone of players like Earl Scruggs and Sonny Osborne rings in my head every time I pick up the banjo – that combination of maple and gold for me can’t be beat. I also need an instrument that’s at home with styles other than bluegrass. The KK is the only new banjo that I’ve played that works for me in all settings. The tone, response and feel of this banjo is right for both traditional bluegrass and more adventurous playing. And it’s got a big sound! When I’m on stage with Megan Lynch, it’s often the only instrument you hear as I support Megan’s singing. This banjo is allowing me to work at an entirely new level of dynamics and power and I can get a pretty amazing array of sounds from it.

I’m out there teaching at a lot of music camps and I’m doing more touring than ever these days. It’s not a day that goes by that I don’t get an inquiry from someone wanting help selecting a banjo. I’m also good friends with most all of the banjo builders and manufacturers out there internationally and I’ve owned and played quite a few instruments built by these various companies and individuals. I value each and every person that’s out there building banjos! For these reasons, I wanted to be associated with a company and with an instrument that I could sincerely feel was the very best for me and what I try to achieve with my music, my teaching and my career. I think the American Made Banjo team has achieved this with the Bill Evans KK.”

You can catch Bill and his Kel Kroyden signature banjo at one of these events this coming spring and summer:

• April 4: San Diego, CA, Old Time Music
• April 5: Granada Hills, CA, Blue Ridge Pickin’ Parlor
• April 16: Las Cruces, NM, Rio Grande Theater with Steve Smith
• April 17: Albuquerque, NM: Outpost Performance Space with Steve Smith
• April 18-19: Durango, CO: Durango Bluegrass Meltdown
• April 23: Evanston, IL: Bill’s Blues
• April 24: Glendale, WI: Milwaukee Area BG Assoc Concert
• April 25: Madison, WI: Southern Wisconsin BG Assoc Workshops and Concert
• April 26: Chicago, IL: Old Town School of Folk Music workshop
• May 2: Palo Alto, CA: Gryphon Stringed Instruments workshop
• May 13: San Francisco, CA: Climate Theater
• June 5-7: Midwest Banjo Camp, Olivet, MI
• June 14-17: CBA Music Camp, Grass Valley, CA
• June 20: Boise, ID: Workshops and concert
• June 21-26: Steve Kaufmans Acoustic Kamp, Maryville, TN
• June 27: ROMP, Owensboro, KY
• July 10-12: Big Horn Mt. Fest, Buffalo, WY
• July 19-24: Camp Bluegrass, Levelland, TZ
• August 23-29: BC BG Workshop, Sorrento, BC, Canada
• October 16-18: NashCamp Banjo Retreat, Fairview, TN

Bill’s updated schedule will can always be viewed on his web site.

If you’re in the Knoxville area you can see the show live, for free, at the Square Room, 4 Market Square. Otherwise, listen online, again for free, at WDVX.com.

Enjoy the music!

I couldn’t have told you exactly what my expectations were. I just knew I was expecting to hear some innovative music played with consummate skill and artistry on banjo and fiddle. When I finally got the CD in the mail, it did not disappoint.

I should probably dispel a couple preconceived notions you might have about what to expect from a banjo/fiddle recording.

First, most of the tracks are vocal. This is NOT a recording of banjo-fiddle instrumental duets in a purely old-time style. That historic style makes its influence felt throughout the CD, but you’ll not mistake this for an old time record. In fact, you’ll not mistake this for a bluegrass record either. This CD is something more than can be easily defined by convenient labels.

Second, I never once missed the presence of a full band. Not once in the 11 tracks did I think “This would have been better with a full band.” I never even thought about a band, I just enjoyed the music. That’s the way this CD presents itself to the listener. There is nothing missing. This music is exactly as “full” instrumentally, and vocally, as it should be. Nothing is underdone or overdone, they got is just right. I would advise the listener not even to think of this as banjo/fiddle or duet CD, as that might mislead your expectations.

The only guests on the entire recording are the addition of vocals and handclaps by Mike Anglin and Eleanor Cross on one track. Other than that the CD is just Bill and Megan…well almost. The third member of the duet is Stephen Mougin, who served as co-producer and recording/mixing engineer. Stephen is an impressive musician in his own right, having toured extensively with Sam Bush. I had a chance to speak with Stephen about the recording, and he shared some great comments.

I “co-produced” the record with Bill and Megan, which meant that I offered lots of performance/arrangement ideas.

Working with Bill and Megan on this new album was a musical treat. They were on a mission both to take fiddle and banjo in entirely new directions and explore what could be done with just two people on two instruments! The tracks range from sparce (1 banjo and 1 vocal) to dense (3 banjos, 17 fiddles, 12 vocals, etc.), but the album really feels like a unified collection of songs. It was a blast to have a project where we could throw out the rules and try anything! We employed several non-traditional techniques such as pickless banjo, double-delayed fiddle chops, group handclaps, and fiddle choirs, and that allowed us to highlight the SONGS rather than the players. One of my favorite tunes is “The Distance Between Two Points” a stunning example of Banjo tone from a true banjo guru! I was continuously impressed by the musicianship of Bill and Megan… I kept pushing them and they kept raising the bar both vocally and instrumentally! I hope folks have as much fun listening to the album as we had making it!!

If this CD was an experiment, it was successful. With only two musicians and two primary instruments (Bill plays guitar on one track and dobro on another), the varied range of sound textures is quite surprising, and enjoyable. The song selection is varied as well. I especially enjoyed Megan’s renditions of two songs brought in from other genres. The first is the tune Check Yes Juliet from the pop band We The Kings. The song is fun and catchy, pulling you into the rhythm. Bill’s banjo treatment is so masterful that the comparison wasn’t even made in my mind with the original pop version. The second in Mark Knopfler’s tune Song for Sonny Liston. Bill evokes a very bluesy feel on this track and Megan’s rhythmic treatment on the fiddle is infectious.

Another track I found myself playing receptively is a lovely arrangement of Bill’s composition Sleeping Lady One of the few strictly instrumental performances on the CD, this track again defies being tagged with a label. Bill’s banjo is tasteful with beautiful tone and Megan’s fiddles are layered into a nice string arrangement.

The vocals are impressive throughout. Megan proves herself to be much more than an accomplished fiddler. Her voice is pleasant and appropriate for each tune. Bill’s vocals are smooth and relaxed. The blend is just right between the two and nothing ever feels out of place.

A hat tip to Stephen for a delightful mix which conveys all the nuances of the acoustic instruments and vocals, preserving the dynamics and tone, while sounding full at the same time. His use of the stereo spectrum is exactly what a recording like this needed.

UPDATE: Stephen wrote in to share two additional pieces of information.

The album was mixed by myself and Ryan Reynosa (former front of house engineer for the Sam Bush Band).

Not a correction but an omission, the record was recorded at Dark Shadow Recording (my shameless self-promotion!!).

This CD should not be relegated to only to those who enjoy banjo and fiddle. I commend this recording to anyone who enjoys good acoustic music.

Let’s Do Something is available for purchase directly from Bill’s website. Samples are available on the duo’s MySpace page.

Cherryholmes is an extremely flexible band, shifting arrangements, physical and vocal, several times per song. (At one point late in the show all the family members formed a line and jubilantly clogged.) And even though they are capable traditionalists — their self-titled fourth album is an excellent display of fundamentals — onstage they can be eccentric, especially Jere, the patriarch.

After a discussion of how to remain creative while touring the country with your family, he deadpanned, "The songs that I wrote happened to come out murder ballads." "My True Love" was written by Sandy, he said, but not about him, because "she couldn’t find any words that rhymed with ‚Äòshort.’ Or ‚Äòlong gray beard.’ Or ‚Äòbald head.’ "

Sound familiar…?

It’s a brief review, but captures the spirit and style of the band’s live show quite well. Read the full article on the Times’ web site.

This event is hosted by noted banjo players Sonny Osborne and Bill Evans, along with Cindy Sinclair. They welcome beginning through advanced bluegrass banjo players for a weekend of small group instruction, jamming for all ability levels, a faculty concert and much more.

Evans shares a few thoughts about NashCamp…

“While folks come to learn banjo, the emphasis is also on making friends, hanging out with your banjo heros, having fun and eating lots of great food. We’ve had young and old attend each year, men and women – people from all parts of the United States and even Japan. I’m especially proud of the fact that we have a great group of women who attend each year – and that number grows with each camp. Sonny has been our guiding light with this event – his positive energy and enthusiasm along with his interest to stay involved with others who love the banjo inspires everyone around him. This camp has a great spirit. This is the camp to attend if you’d like comfortable surroundings, great food and tremendous fellowship in the company of some of the best banjo players and teachers in the world.

And with Sonny and J. D. in one place, who knows what will happen?”

Students are grouped according to ability level – from beginners with one year of playing experience to the most advanced players. Small group instruction is mixed with full group interactive sessions and the Friday night jam features some of the best Nashville musicians sitting in with students. Saturday’s highlight is a faculty concert that features all of the teachers playing in different combinations. Banjo builder extraordinaire Frank Neat will be on hand for the entire weekend, helping students with banjo setup and getting everyone’s banjo sounding its best.

“Folks often talk themselves out of attending a camp like this because they think that they might not be good enough players but that’s a big mistake! It’s important to remember if you’re feeling insecure about your playing, then everyone else is feeling that way about themselves too. At NashCamp, we do our best to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable playing with others.”

J. D. Crowe will be attending camp on Friday and Saturday; Charlie Cushman on Sunday. All of the other teachers will be at camp for all three days. The camp begins with Friday lunch and ends on Sunday around 3:30 p.m. All meals are provided. This event has sold out in advance the last two years, so advance registration is recommended.

Full tuition and registration details can be found at NashCamp.com.

Bill performs in variety of ensemble settings, including his band Rustler’s Moon, and shows with fiddler Megan Lynch. Bill also works as an instructor at many banjo camps and workshops, and he is an accomplished author. His most recently published work being the Banjo For Dummies book, available from Wiley Publishing.

In between all these other items on his busy schedule, Bill somehow finds time to perform as a soloist, in a format that could best be described as a concert/educational workshop called The Banjo in America. During the course of the presentation, Bill traces the banjo from its roots in West Africa to America, performing selections from the 1700’s forward on a variety of instruments in the banjo’s linage.

Bill recently visited me here at the studio and we filmed a few short video clips of select period performance pieces taken from The Banjo in America. I found the various instruments and tunes to quite fascinating, so I took the opportunity to speak with Bill about the tour and glean some information from him.

I inquired of Bill how long he had been pursuing this concept and what his inspiration had been.

I’ve been touring with “The Banjo in America” since the mid-1990’s but it’s something that I’ve often squeezed in between band performances, workshops and other shows. The initial inspiration for this concert format came from my participation in the Tennessee Banjo Institute and a couple of the Maryland Banjo Academy events in these years. These remarkable weekends brought banjo players together from all over the world who played in a variety of styles, including many of the historical styles I later incorporated into “The Banjo in America.” Also, as in so many things in my career, my buddy Tony Trischka was an inspiration to me. We were following similar paths in exploring these earlier historical styles. Joe Ayers, Clark Buehling, Eli Kaufman and Bob Carlin have also provided help and input along the way.

My work in American music history as a graduate student in ethnomusicology at the University of California, Berkeley in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s also helped me as I developed the format for this show. The Kentucky Humanities Council provided tour support early on as well – I played just about every public library in that state between 1992 and 1994! I’ve also toured with “The Banjo In America” throughout Japan, I’ve showcased this concert at IBMA on several occasions and have performed “The Banjo in America” at Wintergrass, the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival and various festivals here in California and Colorado, among others. I completed a two week tour in Virginia last November, when these videos were taped. So the show has been out there for a long time – It’s just been under the radar!

A lot of people probably don’t realize the important role the banjo has served historically in the popular music of this country. Bill explained the banjo’s role and his goal for the concert.

It’s important to note that the more one looks into it, you find that the banjo has really been right in the center of many of the crucial developments in American music history for over 150 years now. From African music to United States 19th century minstrelsy – America’s first nationally popular music – to ragtime, early blues and country music and, of course, folk and bluegrass and beyond, the banjo has been right in the center of the most important musical achievements. Really! I’m not kidding!! While some folks view this concert as a kind of musical history lesson, my intent is to come up with something that’s just as entertaining as one of my bluegrass band performances. The variety of banjos that are seen and heard in these YouTube videos – each from a different historical era with different string configurations and tunings and radically different tones – keeps the show moving along. I also spice up the concert by playing some of my own tunes and reading quotes from everyone from Mark Twain and to S. S. Stewart to Laurie Anderson.

I found the unique sounds of these instruments very intriguing, but I wondered who the audience really was for this show. Was it targeted at a folk/bluegrass listener base, or did Bill have a broader target in mind.

The potential audience for this concert is anyone who is interested in American music history and the connections between these older styles and everything that we hear today – jazz, country, blues, rock’n'roll, you name it. The banjo is the “root of the root” of all of these styles.

Though the show is historical in nature, Bill continues to progress on the banjo, expanding its musical range so to speak. He includes his own modern, somewhat progressive compositions in the show, and I asked him to articulate his vision for the future of The Banjo in America.

My eventual goal is to record a project featuring selections from “The Banjo in America” and then market the concert a bit more aggressively than I have in the past. I’m always adding new playing styles, tunes and instruments to the show and occasionally I get to perform a similar kind of concert together with Jody Stecher. So, check out my touring schedule and catch a show when I’m in your area!

Here’s a link to Bill’s tour schedule.

You can view all six of the videos we edited, by visiting Bill’s YouTube Channel. I’ll include on of my favorites here.

This is Bill performing on a classic-era banjo from the 1890’s. Those are nyglut strings and a skin head on that instrument. The piece is from 1908. It’s almost hard to believe they were playing stuff this intricate on the banjo as early as the 1870’s!

It was Christmas 1970 and, even though my eight track tape player was constantly playing George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass and John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band that holiday season, I had somehow decided that I wanted a banjo. Seeing Roy Clark on Hee Haw had put it in my fourteen-year old mind that I could actually play this instrument. I’m not sure if I had even heard bluegrass music at that point, growing up in Norfolk, Virginia.

There was a music store at Ward’s Corner, about a mile away from our house, and an Aria banjo had been placed front and center in the store’s Christmas window arrangement since early November. Priced at over $200, this was way too much of an extravagance for my mother, who supported the two of us on a meager Social Security disability income. She almost never called upon my dad to help out with anything extra — just getting the monthly child support was miracle enough — but somehow an agreement had been worked out to buy that banjo.

We brought the banjo home two weeks before Christmas and it was stored underneath the spare bed in my mother’s bedroom with the promise that I would not open the case until Christmas morning. Well, you know how that worked out. As soon as Mother had left the house on an errand, I pulled the case from underneath the bed and opened it up to take a look.

You can imagine my shock when I found a banjo with a broken resonator. The back of the instrument was a landscape of cracked wood with the resonator’s binding splayed out from the sides at various angles that obviously were not intended by the banjo’s Japanese manufacturer. My heart sank. Did this happen in transport from the music store? Had I done this myself in carrying it into the house? I had held the banjo in my own hands before we bought it and it was fine. Was this some kind of Christmas curse — God’s retribution to me for opening the case before Christmas? Could I not get away with anything?

I then remembered that there were two banjo cases in the back room of the music store. Perhaps, just perhaps, the store owner had switched banjos and had given us the one with broken resonator. I immediately felt guilty even thinking this thought but then another much larger issue loomed in front of me, like a ghost of Christmas present: how could I tell my mother about this? If I confided that I had discovered that the banjo was broken, I would also be admitting that I broke my promise not to look inside the case before Christmas. This was a tough existentialist dilemma for a fourteen-year old suburban teenager.

Full disclosure won out, along with the overriding desire to get a banjo with a good-looking resonator. My mom’s anger mingled with my own somewhat twisted Christmas joy as I watched her chew out the store owner, who promptly traded banjos with apology. When the new new banjo arrived home, it went under the bed once again and was not to be opened before Christmas morning.

This time, I kept my promise.

The setting for the Banjo Retreat is the stunning 1865 Drouillard House and its surrounding grounds and The Mad Platter, an acclaimed Nashville restaurant, caters the event.

“While we try to get the best teachers and players we can each year, the Drouillard House and the food are probably what keep people coming back. I’ve taught at most banjo camps across the country, and I’ll proudly admit that I think the comfort level of our camp is second to none. And that creates a relaxing atmosphere for folks to have a great weekend.

We’re also excited about Kristin Scott-Benson being with us. She’s one of our favorite players and people and her playing and teaching are going to bowl people over!”

Small group classes, faculty concerts, jamming and a wide choice of electives highlight this year’s class offerings, with a special emphasis this year on double banjo playing, in honor of Tony’s CD, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular.

Folks do seem to come back year after year – this year’s camp sold out in early June. As a special added feature for 2007, Munde, Evans and Luberecki will perform at the Station Inn on Thursday night, October 18th at 8 p.m., backed by guitarist Tim May, fiddler Megan Lynch, mandolin player Roland White and bassist Jon Weisberger.

If you want to get in on the NashCamp experience, reservations will be accepted for the 2008 event on January 2, 2008.

For example, the Bill Evans’ signature set will benefit The Children’s Tumor Foundation for young folks who suffer with neurofibromatosis. Other artists who are participating in this program include Sonny Osborne, Brad Leftwich, Casey Henry, Charlie Cushman, Mary Z. Cox, Mike Scott, Peter Schwimmer, Rich Stillman, Todd Taylor, Ron Cody and Tony Ellis.

Each artist set is made up using the string gauge and winding they prefer, and sets suggested by both bluegrass and clawhammer players are part of this effort.

The treatment these strings receive involves exposing them to extremely low temperatures (below -300 degrees Fahrenheit), as is common in industrial applications to insure consistent hardness of critical metal components. American Made Banjos says that this extends string life and enhances tonal response.

Learn more about their banjos and banjo strings on their web site.

The book is designed to take a new banjo player through all the steps required to get a grip on the instrument, starting with how to choose a banjo, how to get it in tune and how to get started in a variety of styles. Bill spends time on learning bluegrass, clawhammer, minstrel, melodic, classic and single-string banjo playing.

There are a great many details about the book accessible from Bill’s web site, with links to view the table of contents, the complete 8 page introduction and a full five page chapter, Ten Tips To Make Practicing More Fun.

Like all the Dummies books, Banjo For Dummies is written in a light, entertaining style and formatted to make it easy to find the information you are after. An audio CD is included which contains slower speed versions of all the musical examples shown in tablature throughout the book.

Personally, I think anyone who takes up banjo is no dummy, but hat’s off to Bill for getting this in print all the same.

The book was written by Dix Bruce and Bill Evans, who also recorded a version of every song from the book for the two companion CDs. Bruce has more than 20 books available from Mel Bay, and is an accomplished guitarist and mandolinist and music writer. Evans is a noted banjo player and teacher, with three instructional DVDs from AcuTab.

The songs in the book include bluegrass, old time, country and gospel favorites drawn from the recorded work of Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, The Osborne Brothers. Jimmy Martin, Doc Watson and many others. You’ll find jam standards like Rocky Top, Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms, Nine Pound Hammer and Little Maggie plus Bill Evans’ banjo arrangement for Train 45 (with examples of possible variations), as well as Cripple Creek and Sally Goodin.

The book’s introduction covers important jam basics like using the capo, finding the best key for your voice, and how to transpose the chords shown for each song into a more suitable key for both men’s and women’s voices.

Bill shared a few thoughts about this new release.

“My hope is that this will be a real resource for the acoustic musician who is looking to expand their repertoire or catch up on some old favorites that they may have missed the first time around. You can listen to the CD track and then go to the sheet music to learn the chord progression and lyrics. The relatively simple banjo tab melody offers a way for you to begin to work out your own arrangement of the tune ‚Äì rather than trying to learn and memorize someone else’s version.”

This 304 page book (with 2 audio CDs) is available wherever bluegrass instructional materials are sold, or directly from Bill Evans’ web site where you can also find a sample tab and audio.

The Parking Lot Picker’s Songbook will be available soon in a mandolin edition as well.

A new book from Wiley Publishing – the yellow Dummies books folks – may be just the ticket for bluegrass and acoustic musicians seeking an entry level guide to this topic.

Music Theory for Dummies was released earlier this month, and is described by the publishers as being…

Written for the nearly 30,000 college and graduate music students as well as working musicians and serious music buffs, this hands-on guide explains music theory concepts in plain English-from scales, intervals, tempos, and dynamics to chord progressions, phrasing, harmonizing, and arranging-and demonstrates how to apply them in compositions ranging from pop and rock to jazz and classical.

Music Theory for Dummies runs to 336 pages, and has a companion audio CD included with musical examples of the concepts described in the book.

The Wiley site now also shows Bill Evans’ Banjo for Dummies book with a July 2007 release date. Find out more about this widely-anticipated manual in an earlier post.

His latest AcuTab DVD, Bluegrass Banjo Master Class, is out this week, a project which Bill says formed in his mind after noticing that many of his students were encountering similar obstacles in trying to move forward on the banjo. He compiled the topics and exercises for this new DVD to help serious banjo players – at any skill level – jump start both their picking, and the enjoyment they derive from their time with the banjo.

From the AcuTab site:

Master Class is not a term you hear much in the banjo world, though it is quite common in the jazz and classical music worlds. Essentially, it is a chance to attend an instructional event with a noted master of their instrument. In this DVD, Bill Evans follows the same concept, presenting an overview of techniques that will benefit any banjo player.

Bill teaches essential bluegrass roll patterns and explores such topics as straight time vs. playing with a bounce, and how to practice with a metronome. His analysis is designed to help both new pickers get on the right track, and to refocus more experienced players on the importance of the basics – solid rhythm, big tone and bluegrass drive.

Bill also presents a series of essential bluegrass banjo licks, showing how to make slight modifications to create new licks, and a string of chordal exercises that run up and down the neck, based on familiar roll patterns.

Bluegrass Banjo Master Class runs 2 hours and 20 minutes, and includes a printed tab booklet. More details, screenshots and several sample video clips are available on the AcuTab site.

Look for it wherever quality bluegrass instructional DVDs are sold, from Bill’s web site, or directly from AcuTab.

First up will be Bluegrass Banjo Master Class, featuring Bill Evans. This will be the fourth installment in AcuTab’s popular Power Pickin’ series, which to this point had been wholly dedicated to playing bluegrass banjo backup.

The new DVD has Bill going over a wide range of banjo techniques, focusing on the common errors and problems that he has found popping up most frequently in both private lessons and workshops. These include detailed anaysis of right and left hand positioning, pick attack and posture. He also demonstrates some of the most common licks and phrases in the Scruggs style repertoire, and how making simple changes to these licks can expand your own bag of licks, and start you on further explorations of your own.

Bluegrass Banjo Master Class will include material of interest to relatively new pickers, as well as seasoned players, and is expected in mid-to-late March. Anyone wishing to receive an email notice when the DVD is available, or when more details are posted on the AcuTab site, can request notification at acutab.com.

Serious students of the mandolin will celebrate this one – an AcuTab DVD featuring Adam Steffey, Mountain Heart’s mando monster. Adam will teach and demonstrate a number of tunes and solos he has recorded over the years, and discuss his approach to the mandolin, building solos, working in the studio and playing bluegrass mandolin accompaniment.

There is a discussion over at Mandolin Cafe where AcuTab solicited input from forum members as to which tunes and techniques they would like to see covered in the Steffey DVD. The video shoot is scheduled for February 21, so there is still time to get your suggestions and requests in. Do so by contributing at Mandolin Cafe, or by email to AcuTab.

You can also request notification by email when the Steffey DVD is ready at the AcuTab site.

The camp sets up a large number of highly specialized classes, with tracks for beginning, intermediate and advanced players. The instruction is designed to offer a mix of hands-on workshops and demonstrations of specific styles and techniques. Two faculty concerts are also on the schedule.

The full list of instructors is quite impressive:

• Old-time: Cathy Barton-Para, Clarke Buehling, Cathy Fink, Joe Newberry, Michael Miles, Ken Perlman and Mike Seeger.
• Bluegrass: Danny Barnes, Janet Beazley, Greg Cahill, Bill Evans, Murphy Henry, Gerald Jones, Ned Luberecki, Alan Munde and Mike Sumner
• Accompanists: Peter Knupfer (bluegrass fiddle) and Ron McKeever (bluegrass guitar)

Midwest banjo Camp is operated under the direction of Ken Perlman. Full details can be found on the MBC web site.

Bill has two popular instructional DVDs about banjo backup from AcuTab (Up The Neck Backup for Bluegrass Banjo and Playing Banjo Backup in a Bluegrass Band) and has held workshops on this topic for many years.

This will be a two hour workshop (3:00-5:00 p.m. EST, 2/11/07), with the first hour devoted to first position backup, and the second playing backup up the neck.

The Bill Evans workshop will be limited to 25 participants, and pre-registration and a $20 fee are required to hold a spot. You can find registration details on The Banjo Lounge site.

Now add “author” to the list of credentials for this erudite California banjo player. Bill is spending this winter writing Banjo for Dummies for Wiley Publishing, the ubiquitous yellow and black book publishers with sales in excess of 46 million worldwide.

“The first reaction I get from banjo players or bluegrass fans is that it’s a natural! We’re used to being perceived as being real dummies by the outside world, so why not a Dummies book?”

Banjo for Dummies is Wiley Publishing’s first venture into bluegrass and acoustic music and, like most of their titles, will be available at virtually every bookstore in the country following its publication in summer of 2007. The banjo book will follow the typical Dummies format, providing a whimsical and informal introduction to the world of the banjo in 380 pages while also imparting a lot of useful information and musical instruction.

“There will not only be beginners’ sections on clawhammer and bluegrass styles, but Wiley has also asked me to present short instructional sections on minstrel banjo, classic banjo and progressive bluegrass styles. This will hopefully make the book of interest to all players, not just newcomers. It should be a very inclusive introduction to the world of the banjo.”

Bill says that Banjo for Dummies will also include a buyer’s guide, a guide to accessories, an introduction to bluegrass festivals and the famous Dummies’ “List of Tens,” which in this case will include ten important, trend setting players and ten valuable resources to become a better player. A CD will accompany the book with a separate DVD in the works.

This is just the first book that Bill will be writing for Wiley. He’ll follow up Banjo for Dummies with Bluegrass for Dummies, a stylistic study, with more bluegrass banjo books to follow.

“I’m making a long term commitment to Wiley and I’m looking forward to helping them to get into the bluegrass market. It feels great to be using some of the skills I used years ago as an academic but employing a writing style that’s designed for a general audience. This is much more fun than writing an academic paper and it’s more meaningful for me at this point in my life to be reaching out to everyone who might be interested in the banjo.

There is some misunderstanding out there about what Wiley is all about. They never view their audience as lacking intelligence and their books never talk down to anyone. They are fulfilling a real need today in providing a quick way to learn essentials from square one so that the reader can easily develop greater enthusiasm for the topic at hand.”

Bill is a popular instructor at many banjo workshops across the country, and currently performs with Rustler’s Moon with Kathy Kallick and Bill Evans, The Secret Life of Banjos with Bill Evans and Jody Stecher, and the Bill Evans String Summit.

His AcuTab instructional DVDs, Up The Neck Backup for Bluegrass Banjo and Playing Backup In A Bluegrass Band are among the company’s best selling titles, and a third AcuTab banjo DVD (Bluegrass Banjo Master Class) is being edited now for a 2007 release.

Bill is also a busy family man. His wife Kathy is a public school teacher in Albany, CA and his fourteen year old daughter Corey is a budding musician specializing in jazz and rock drumming. Bill is pictured here with his eighteen year old son Jesse, at his Eagle Scout Court of Honor, held recently in Berkeley.

I’m just back – and completely exhausted! However, I wanted to share these pictures and relate a little bit of the magic that was day two of the 6th annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, being held this weekend in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California.

It’s hard for me to imagine a more interesting and eclectic lineup of Americana, folk, singer-songwriter and bluegrass acts at any other festival in North America – and the fact that it’s a free event makes it all the more special. Hardly Strictly is a gift to the world from Warren Hellman, a San Francisco investment banker and aspiring clawhammer banjo player. This year’s event brings together folks like Earl Scruggs, Emmylou Harris (with John Starling, Tom Gray and Mike Auldridge), Dry Branch Fire Squad, Del McCoury Band and Ricky Skaggs as well as Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson and T Bone Burnett. It’s not all bluegrass but it is all fantastic and the mixing of different styles and perspectives is truly marvelous. And did I mention it is free?

I was asked by Warren to put something together this year that would be truly special and, knowing his love for banjo music, I asked my good friends and mentors Tony Trischka and Alan Munde to join me in a set of music at this year’s event. We played several triple banjo tunes in three part harmony (including the Osborne Brothers’ Big Ben and Alan Munde and Byron Berline’s Deputy Dalton) and also performed tunes separately, including two songs from Tony’s upcoming double banjo CD to be released on Rounder Records in January, 2007 (this is going to be good!). For our last tune, Alison Brown joined us for a four part version of Dixie Breakdown.

Earl Scruggs and Friends followed our performance and the U. S. Air Force Blue Angels put on a dazzling display of aviation prowess above our heads while Earl and the band played. Last year’s weather on Saturday was somewhat marginal with heavy fog and temperatures in the upper 50s. That wasn’t the case this year, as it was bright, sunny and warm….well for San Francisco at least (temps were in the mid 60’s)!

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is always held the first full weekend in October out here in San Francisco. Make plans now for next year’s event – it’s truly an unforgettable experience! Attendance was estimated at 230,000 people today with music spread out on four large stages located throughout the central meadow at Golden Gate Park.

Photos by Gretchen Snyder and Steve Stolzenburg

Earl Scruggs	Alan Munde	Tony Trischka	Bill Evans
Banjo Extravaganza Trischka, Evans, Brown Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

The Bill Evans String Summit is Scott Nygaard on guitar (a former editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine, and well known for his work with Laurie Lewis, Tim O’Brien, and the Darol Anger); LA dobro phenom Michael Witcher (who has performed with Dolly Parton and Herb Pedersen); bassist Cindy Browne (who has performed with jazz greats Mel Torme and Lionel Hampton) and four-time National Fiddling Champions Tashina and Tristan Clarridge. Tristan will also be playing cello with the band.

“Bluegrass is a meeting ground for a diverse group of musicians in the String Summit who have also been influenced by jazz, classical and various world music traditions. We’ve started on a path where we are performing a good deal of my own compositions, which for the most part are firmly within the bluegrass tradition. However, I’m hoping as time goes on that everyone will be contributing original tunes to the band. We’ll venture in whatever directions the tunes take us. Ultimately, I think that’s what all musicians do. I’ve been writing new tunes for this band and I hope we can go into the studio soon and do some recording.

Bill Evans String Summit takes advantage of the growing youth movement in acoustic music – Tristan, Tashina and Michael are all under the age of 25. The band makes its northern California debut with the following three shows:

You can find more info on these dates, and others with String Summit, on Bill’s web site.